Relationship Issues Therapists in Saint Paul, MN

We are all on a unique life journey! I am passionate about helping others thrive, not just survive, on their journey. I am especially passionate about healthy relationships with a special interest in family of origin issues, pre-marriage counseling, divorce, remarriage, blended families, and codependency issues. I also specialize in grief counseling, life transitions, career development, and spiritual concerns. I work with individual adults and couples using a systemic, strengths-based, integrative approach.

I am a licensed professional counselor specializing in trauma, perinatal mental health, and attachment issues. I work with acute and complex traumas, with the understanding trauma is truly in the eye of the beholder. Trauma can be overwhelming. We can find ourselves stuck in the same patterns. Sometimes we may even feel trapped in our own bodies or frozen in fear. Bad memories can refuse to shrink or fade. You may find yourself coping in ways that just make things worse. I have worked with individuals who have childhood abuse/neglect, sexual assault, medical trauma, trauma from being a first responder, and traumatic loss.

I believe lasting change takes place over time in the context of a safe and secure therapeutic relationship. As a therapist, I strive to provide a non-judgmental and supportive space where you can begin exploring problematic and often repetitive relationship patterns. In the process you will become more aware of your feelings and deep assumptions that may be continually preventing you from reaching your goals in life. I believe everyone has inner potential for growth. In therapy, we can work together toward helping you find courage and your natural capacity for growth so that you can live a happier and more empowered life.

I work with people who want better relationships with others and better relationships with themselves. Couples, families, and individuals I see are bright, curious, motivated people who find their lives disrupted somehow - by the intrusion of traumatic experiences, life transitions, or persistent struggles with mental health that don't resolve on their own. I have a deep understanding of the unique therapy needs of therapists and doctors and their partners and families, and I enjoy working with folks anywhere on the gender and sexuality spectra. I also work with torture and war trauma survivors, refugees, and asylum seekers.

Hello, I'm so glad you’re here! I believe that strong, affirming relationships are at the core of our mental well-being and my goal is to support and guide the client as they navigate their relationships, challenges, and whatever life throws their way. I identify as 1.5 gen Asian American and tend to approach therapy through a systemic lens. Together, my hope is to support clients in exploring their values and strengths and working towards becoming their more authentic selves.

I work with couples, individuals, families and children online, via teletherapy, as well as in person. I support my clients across the life span to heal from losses and improve their relationships. I have extensive experience with LGBTQ issues, child development, adoption, sexual abuse, parenting challenges, divorce, suicide, and life transitions. My specialized training includes play therapy, couples therapy, and experience in infant and pregnancy loss, complicated or unplanned pregnancies, and infant/toddler mental health.

I am currently accepting new clients. I bring 45 years of experience as a therapist to my practice. I have frequently been a therapist for other therapists. I have also served as a supervisor and consultant for other therapists. I was the co-founder of two advanced training programs for therapists. For over 25 years, I held a part time faculty position at the University of Minnesota. I have written and presented many papers about therapy.

Do you feel like it's hard to keep up? Our world is changing fast and dynamically. Does it feel hard to locate yourself in all of it? Do you feel like you ask yourself the same questions over and over: Is this the right relationship? Why does this always happen to me? Why am I anxious or feel depressed ? How am I going to handle this change? I can help you!

If you're like most people who seek help, you've already tried everything. You've come to the end of your rope, and you're afraid that even therapy won't work. I know - I've been there. Perhaps the source of your pain is a relationship with a family member, partner, or spouse. Maybe it's long-standing general anxiety or depression. Perhaps you're grappling with an addiction that's truly ruining your life. Or, perhaps you're recovering from an addiction, but anxiety and self-doubt are preventing you from moving forward with basic life goals.

I've been counseling men and couples for over 40 years. My specialties are men with compulsive/addictive sexual behaviors, unresolved childhood abuse/trauma/neglect, anxiety/depression, relationship problems and intimacy issues. I also do couple's therapy teaching and helping couples in good communication and conflict management and how to heal from infidelity. Cornerstone has 5 outpatient treatment groups for men with sexual addiction. We also have very skilled therapist who treat childhood trauma and neglect with very highly regarded therapeutic methods and approaches including EMDR, Sensorimotor and Pesso Psychomotor Therapy.

I have a warm and compassionate, client-centered approach. I believe that we all have the natural tendency to grow and heal, given the right conditions. My goal is to be a steadying, nonjudgmental presence alongside you in your healing journey. I will first focus on fostering emotional safety and trust. I will then support you to develop or deepen self acceptance, reach identified goals, and to live authentically. We will learn from interactions in our work together, as the therapeutic relationship can be a powerful base for change. Ultimately, you will find ways to better navigate your life.

CURRENTLY FULL, maintaining a waitlist. You feel shut down, trapped by negative feelings and memories. Unhappiness and worry are familiar companions. Negative emotions and thoughts interrupt the ability to be your full self. Unsatisfying relationships with friends and family sap your energy. You’d like to change the patterns in your life that don't seem to be working, but can’t find a way to do so. You want a therapist who accepts, understands and validates you, while offering real skills and strategies for dealing with your distress.

You are feeling lost in your relationship, career or as a parent. You long to feel less stuck and maybe even find your way back to happy again. You have a brain that will not shut off or quiet down. You hear a lot from others that you are too hard on yourself, but don't know how to change that, and then beat up on yourself more because you cannot. Whether it is one or several of the above, there is hope.

I approach my work with openness, respect, and curiosity. I work collaboratively with you to help you achieve your goals. My style incorporates awareness of the past with a focus on improving satisfaction in the present. I will actively listen and reflect as well as challenge and empower you to direct your own life. Together we will identify your strengths, increase your insight, and develop coping skills that promote positive change.

I hold that every person is worthy of a safe, unbiased, and productive opportunity to process their experiences. With how uncertain and complex life can be, I believe that every person carries their own “griefcases,” a place where we store memories of when we have lost our sense of control, the times when we have lost touch with our relationships with others and ourselves. I came into therapy wanting to serve marginalized communities. Especially, people of color within the GLBTQIA community, partnerships and families of all forms, 1st/2nd generation of immigrants, and the relationship between spirituality and queerness.

You're feeling stuck in a pattern of conflict and disconnection with the one that matters the most. You want to feel close and understood, but attempts to be close with your partner or to get your needs met often leads to disappointment or conflict. Identifying and sharing what you want and need in relationships can feel scary, so you're looking for help managing anxiety and finding the words to express yourself when it comes to what you need in your relationship. You may also have a traumatic event(s) that you know is holding you back. You're ready to process those events so you can heal.

OPENINGS for Couple's Therapy! Are you struggling with your relationship? Do you fight and have difficulty communicating with your partner? I understand the pain of feeling judged, shut out and rejected and the fear of losing the most important relationship in you life. I can provide a safe space for you and your partner to ask each other and answer one of the most important questions in relationships: "Are you there for me?" I can help you strengthen your bond and rekindle your passion. Call me for a free 15 minutes consultation.

Healing comes from seeking understanding of the whole self. I provide a calm and compassionate space to work through intense anxiety, depression, grief, difficult relationships, parenting concerns or that feeling that things just aren’t right. Together we can explore patterns you may feel caught in, look at things in new ways, and reclaim parts of yourself that have been closed off or are waiting for the opportunity to grow. I enjoy helpIng adults, couples, and teens heal emotional wounds, work through intense trauma or abuse, work through the trauma of the everyday, and deepen awareness of needs, greatest hopes, and complete self.

I have been practicing as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Licensed Psychologist for over thirty years. I understand that therapy can seem mysterious and intimidating. I also know that life is filled with challenges and that relationships are very demanding and difficult to navigate. Psychotherapy can be one way of addressing whatever unique distress you may be experiencing. Together we will work to clear away the limitations of thinking and experience that are holding you back from your own wholeness- your own sense of being fully alive and engaged in your life.